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Omega VSJ843R Vertical Juicing System Review (2020)

Updated: January 8, 2020

By Nichlas Brandon

Quick Digest: Pros, Cons and Verdict

Here's What We Think

The Omega VSJ843R Vertical Juicing System is a neatly compact masticating juicer. With an impressive 15-year manufacturer's warranty, it's an investment worth considering.

Notable Product Features

Very quiet motor allows you to juice whenever you want without disturbing the household

Convenient juice flap can be used to prevent dripping and thoroughly mixing ingredients inside the juice bowl

Appealing 15-year manufacturer’s warranty on the entire unit

Build Quality and Design

The Omega VSJ843R has a compact, vertical design, and was built with sturdy material, including:

Ultra strong GE Ultem plastic for the auger screw

Stainless steel for the juicing screen

BPA-free plastics for all parts coming in contact with food

As I mentioned, the Omega VSJ843R comes with an even smaller footprint than its square cousin, making it even easier for you to find a space for it in your kitchen.

When fully assembled, this unit’s compact design clocks in at:

7 inches wide (17.8 cm)

15.5 inches tall (39.4 cm)

8.5 inches deep (21.6 cm)

22 pounds (10 kilograms)

It’s short enough to fit under most kitchen cabinets.

Being a 22-pound juicer without carrying handles, this really isn’t an appliance you’ll want to be moving around a lot, so I suggest you find a good spot to place it permanently.

Something a lot of people aren’t too excited about is having to spend time pre-cutting produce small enough to fit into masticating juicers’ small feed chutes, and smaller yet to avoid causing jams.

But this is normal and how masticating juicers are meant to work. If you appreciate getting higher yields and longer lasting juice from your produce, with much less oxidation, the time spent is a small inconvenience.

The VSJ843 series feature a propeller-shaped twin-wing auger screw design.

The wings latch onto the wiping blades, which powers the auto-cleaning system when the auger rotates and cleans both the juicing screen and juice bowl.

A convenient flap is attached to the juice spout. When closed, this flap:

prevents dripping on the table when juice container is removed and allows ingredients to thoroughly mix inside the juice bowl

is necessary when you want to achieve thicker consistencies (for smoothies, sorbets, etc.)

is needed when you want to do a quick rinse of the internal parts between recipes

From previous Omega juicers, the pulp ejection port has increased in size.

This helps prevent pulp from getting stuck and blocking the port. However, I’ve come across reviewers saying stringy produce like celery can still be a headache as it commonly gets stuck near the pulp ejection’s opening.

With the juicer, you get two 30 oz. containers for collecting juice and pulp. They’re big enough to let you juice for two people without having to stop to empty the containers.

This gives you more bang for your buck and most of the time produces very dry pulp.

While you generally won’t see much foam, closing the juice flap and allowing the juice to be thoroughly mixed will reduce foam content even more.

Both models in the VSJ843 series do a really good job at producing juice with very little, if any pulp, so you end up with a smooth drink. You also have some control over this by using the juice flap (leave it open for least amount of pulp).

If you want to juice a lot of hard produce, leafy greens or grasses, this juicer is a good fit. But if you really only want to juice soft fruit, I suggest going for a horizontal masticating juicer instead.

I’ve also seen a lot of user feedback saying this juicer isn’t the best for juicing a lot of carrots.

To help you get the best results, let me share some tips with you:

Pre-cut your produce as small or thin as possible, and you especially want to do this with hard or stringy produce like beetroot, carrots, celery, chard stems, etc.

If using multiple ingredients, alternate between them as you put them into the feed opening (e.g. drop in some apple, then some carrot, then lemon, back to apple and repeat)

Only put in one or two pieces at a time, then give the juicer time to process each ingredient before adding more, otherwise, you may cause jams

While you learn to use this juicer, you may experience some issues with jams and blockages, and that’s all right, just use the reverse button to loosen things up again.

Performance and Noise

Have you ever used a centrifugal juicer? You know, those juicers that make it sound like you’ve got a jet engine in your kitchen?

Well, you’ll be getting none of that with a masticating juicer, and especially the Omega VSJ843 series, as these are among the quietest juicers you’ll find.

You’ll be able to juice whenever you feel like without disturbing the household, neighbors, or sensitive pets.

Now, performance-wise, the keyword here’s “slow juicer.” Juicing with this unit will take time as it only rotates at 43 RPM, but that’s normal. In return, the juice you get is really decent quality.

Unfortunately, the VSJ843 does fall short when juicing certain hard produce, especially carrots, often resulting in jams.

But the key is to cut the carrots lengthwise into halves or quarters and put them in slowly with the bulky end first.

Sometimes you can drop them right in and the juicer will self-feed. Other times you’ll need to hold onto the carrot and slowly lower it into the feed opening, letting the juicer bite off one piece at a time.

Is It Easy to Use?

One thing that’s understandably important to many is ease of use. If your juicer is difficult to deal with, you’ll probably quit using it.

So, let me say this: If you’re completely new to juicing, masticating juicers do have a few minor quirks you’ll need to learn to get consistently good results.

It mostly has to do with what kind of produce you’re juicing, and how you put it into the feed opening. So just expect a few bumps here and there, which you’ll overcome quickly by following the tips I mentioned earlier.

The first couple of times, you’ll likely need to look up a video or refer to the manual for assembling the parts. After that, it’s really a walk in the park.

Taking the juicer apart again is also easy.

Sometimes pressure can build up within the juice bowl, which makes the hopper difficult to remove. You can quickly solve this by pushing reverse for a couple seconds to release the pressure.

This video on how to assemble both the rounded and square Omega VSJ843 models can help you along:

Is It Easy to Clean?

Using a combination of the auger, wiping blades, and juice flap, the VSJ843R has a really convenient cleaning function you can take advantage of to avoid disassembling all parts when making different recipes successively.

Once you’ve finished the first recipe, all you do is:

close the juice flap

replace the juice container with an empty one

make sure the juicer is switched on and then pour water into the juice bowl (up to 15 fl. oz. max to avoid overflow)

Give the juicer some time to do its thing, and within 15-20 seconds, the auger’s rotation and wiping blades will help the water pickup pulp and give all parts within the juice bowl a good rinse.

When you see the water looking dark and murky, all you do is release it into the empty container. You saved yourself from detaching all parts and your juicer is ready for the next recipe.

You should also do this when you’re finished juicing, as it’ll cut down on cleaning time.

Here’s a quick tip: Line the pulp container with a plastic bag before you begin juicing. That’s one less part to clean at the end.

You can clean this juicer three ways:

Immediately wash, rinse and dry (or set aside to dry) by hand, which should take no longer than 10 minutes

Fill a dishwashing basin with warm water and some baking soda, then place detachable parts in the basin and allow to soak for 30 minutes; rinse off thoroughly at the end

Place detachable parts in dishwasher on top rack (all parts are dishwasher safe at low temperature)

Before doing any of the above, I suggest you clear the pulp that collects on the underside of the auger screw, as well as giving the juicing screen’s mesh filter a good scrub.

As cleaning both the VSJ843R and VSJ843Q is an identical process, here’s a great video that’ll come in handy:

Should I Buy the Omega VSJ843R Vertical Juicing System?

Let’s get a quick comparison out of the way between the VSJ843R and VSJ843Q.

The key thing I like about the rounded model, is its smaller width, making it easier to fit into narrow spaces.

The key thing I like about the square model is that the on/off/reverse switch is located on the front of the juicer, while the rounder model’s switch is located on the back, making it more difficult to reach without tilting or shifting the juicer.

So my personal pick is the square model as it’s slightly more convenient to use.

That aside, the VSJ843R is quiet and compact. While not the best juicer for carrots and celery, it’s super-efficient with most other hard produce and leafy greens and will give you decent extractions and high yields.

If you’re a complete beginner to juicing, this unit can be a great starting point if you’re ready for a slight learning curve.

If not, consider getting a cheaper centrifugal juicer first to get the feel for juicing.

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